By Sunil Gavaskar
India open their campaign to regain the ICC World T20 on the Hindu holiday of Ganesh Chaturthi, but how auspicious that is only time will tell.
They begin with a game against Afghanistan, but they know that in this format anybody can surprise.
The margin between teams is very slim, so don’t expect too many changes.
India’s biggest plus will be the spin department. It is not easy to go after quality spin and that is why the selection committee has brought back Harbhajan Singh. He may not get to play with Ashwin the main spinner, but it is an option.
The warm-up matches, especially the loss to Pakistan, have brought out the deficiencies in attack.
India has gone for plenty in the final overs because there is no variety in the bowling. Trying the slower deliveries is never easy unless practised a lot, and that is where India seem one-dimensional.
It is not just changes of pace, India also lacks the good yorker, so batsmen have an advantage.
The big plus has been the return to form of Rohit Sharma. Here is a player who has shots all round the dial, but whose shot selection has let him down at times.
Virat Kohli continues the good form and he is smart enough to know that form is a fickle mistress and can desert a player any time.
The openers are the main worry at the moment for India, but both Sehwag and Gambhir are big match players and relish the contest against top opponents. If they bat for 10 overs India could well be on the way to a 200 score.